1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a connection bearing with a line connection and a receiving channel for a line penetrating the connection bearing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art connection bearing for a hydraulic vibration damper is disclosed in German reference DE 197 37 935 C1, which is provided with a connection eye for receiving a supply line that is guided through a hollow piston rod of the vibration damper. In addition, the connection eye has a radial access opening which extends virtually at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the hollow piston rod. The supply line is provided for linking to a sensor and accordingly has a small cross section.
The supply line is introduced through the hollow piston rod into the vibration damper during the final phase of mounting the vibration damper. The supply line is then threaded through the radial access opening out of the connection bearing. Subsequently, the connection bearing is screwed onto the piston rod. During the screwing movement, the supply line is twisted repeatedly. The loading occurring because of this is transmitted to the contacts in the vibration damper. Accordingly, it cannot be ruled out that the contacts of the supply line to the sensor will detach and proper functioning will no longer be ensured. Furthermore, it is necessary to take into account the relatively sharp bend at the transition between the line portion guided in the piston rod and the bent portion coming radially out of the access opening, which is detrimental to the service life of the supply line.
While the kink is made less sharp in the construction shown in FIG. 3 of German reference DE 42 33 650 C1, an additional line segment is used through the circumferential portion, which must be considered as wasted length.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a connection bearing for receiving a supply line which eliminates the assembly problems known from the prior art.
According to the present invention, this object is met by a connection bearing with a receiving channel constructed at least up to the bearing body of the connection bearing. Therefore, one end of the line may be grasped to hold it in a coaxial arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis of the connection bearing for assembly thereof. The receiving channel in the bearing body for the line has an extension which extends outside of the through-opening for the bearing pin.
The sharp kink known from the prior art described above is lessened because only a slight bend is necessary between the receiving channel and the extension to circumvent the through-opening for the bearing pin. A clamp which can move relative to the connection bearing to compensate for the turning movements necessary during assembly of the connection bearing suffices to hold the end of the line in the through-opening for the bearing pin.
In a further embodiment, the extension is constructed in a slot which extends over a portion of the circumferential direction of the bearing body. A first point along the slot overlaps with the receiving channel outside of the through-opening for the bearing pin in alignment with a projection of the longitudinal axis of the receiving channel. In this embodiment, particularly long lines can be guided out of the receiving channel. During assembly of the connection bearing, the line is held in the slot in the axial direction of the receiving channel. When the screwing movement in the connection bearing has been concluded, the line can be laid in the slot so as to be offset in the circumferential direction so that the line does not enter the pass-through area for the bearing pin.
To facilitate determination of the final assembly position of the line, a second point of the slot associated with the final assembly portion has a widened portion in which a locating piece or fixing piece for the line engages in a positive engagement.
In a further embodiment of the invention, both the first and second points of the slot have a widened portion in which a fixing piece for the line engages. Accordingly, the assembly position of the line can also be determined during the rotating movement of the connection bearing. Of course, the line can move relative to the connection bearing in the circumferential direction so that no twisting of the line occurs.
The intermediate or end point of the slot has a locking connection in relation to the fixing piece, so that the fixing piece retains its assembly position in the desired form.
To prevent moisture from penetrating via the receiving channel, this receiving channel is sealed relative to the line.
The connection bearing according to the present invention is provided as part of a piston-cylinder unit that has a concentric spring supported by its end at a spring plate which is a component part of the connection bearing. In addition, a cushion or buffer is fastened to the connection bearing and catches in an undercut of the bearing body.
To radially secure the buffer in a reliable manner, the connection bearing has a web or crosspiece which extends at least by segments in the circumferential direction and is formed at a defined distance from the connection buffer. The spring characteristic of the buffer can be influenced by the degree of the distance.
Given correspondingly large piece numbers, it is provided that the connection bearing is constructed as a cold-extruded part.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.